Safety cranking attachment for internal-combustion engines.



e; w. SAGE. I SAFETY GRANKING ATTACHMENT FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTIONENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1911. v

Patented 001;. 31, 1911.

Ill/4 GEORGE W. SAGE, OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.

SAFETY CRANKING ATTACHME1\TT FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

Application filed June 12, 1911. Serial No. 632,598.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. SAGE, a citizen ofthe United States ofAmerica, residing at San Diego, in the county of San Diego and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SafetyCranking Attachments for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a safety cranking attachmentjor internalcombustion engines and particularly for automobile engines, the objectof the invention being to provide a manually operable member which 5'when turned in one direction, will positively engage the engine shaft,together with means for disconnecting said manually operable member fromthe engine shaft upon any initial reverse movement of said shaft.

It is a well known fact that many persons have been seriously injured bythe premature explosion of the charge in the cylinders of internalcombustion engines, this being usually occasioned by having the sparktoo far advanced so that the spark occurs before the engine passes overthe center. It is to prevent accidents under such conditions that thepresent invention is particularly designed.

Further objects and advantages of the invention willloe set forth in thedetailed de scription which now follows.

In' the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view of theyerticalportion of the chassis of an automobile showing theinvent-ion appliedthereto, Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the cranking attachment, Fig. 3is a plan view thereof, Fig. 4 is a sectional view thereof, and Fig. 5is a detail face View ofa pulley which may be employed if desired.

' Like numerals designate corresponding parts in all of the figures ofthe drawing.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 5 designates one of the cylindersof an internal combustion engine and 6, the shaft thereof. Fixed rigidlyupon the front end ofthe shaft 6 is a ratchet wheel 7 that is providedwith a hub or sleeve 8. The hub or sleeve 9 of a second ratchet wheel 10embraces the hub or sleeve Sand serves to space the ratchet wheel 10from the ratchet wheel 7. The sleeve 9 likewise forms a bearing for aring-like portion 12 of a crank handle 13.

The handle 13 carries-a pawl 14 thatis of such width as to vengage boththe ratchet wheel 10 and the ratchet wheel 7. A spring 15 carried by thehandle 13 bears againstthe underside of pawl 14 to normally holdsaidpawl into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheels. I

V A collar 16 is fixed upon the shaft 6 by a set screw 17 and isprovided with a reduced portion 18. This reduced portion forms a bearingfor the ring-like portion 19 of an arm 20. The arm 20 is fixed by ascrew or other fastening device 21 .-to a crossbar 22 of the chassis.The arm 20 carries a pawl 23, this pawl being normally held by a spring2 1 into engagement with the teeth of ratchet wheel 10. v v

The operation of the device is as follows: When the handle is turned ina forward direction or in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, the pawl14 engages the teeth of the ratchet wheels 7 and 10, carrying them tothe right in Fig. 2 and turning the engine shaft 6 in the properdirection tocrank. the englne, it being understood that the ratchetwheel7 is fast upon the shaft and that the ratchet wheel 10 is looselymounted. The pawl 23, however, prevents reverse movement of the ratchetwheel 10. The teeth of the ratchet ,wheel 10 are very slightly longerthan those of the ratchet wheel 7. If the engine back fires and theratchet wheel 7 starts to move rearwardly, initial rearward movement ofsaid ratchet wheel 7 starts to move the handle 13 rearwardly through themedium of pawl 14, but the ratchet wheel 10 cannot move rearwardly'because of the pawl 23, and consequently pawl 1 L rides up one of theteeth of ratchet wheel 10 and in so doing, is lifted out of engagementwith the teeth of ratchet wheel 7, after which the ratchet wheel 7 andthe engine'shaft may rotate rearwardly without moving the handle 13. Themovement necessary to thus free the pawl 14 of the teeth of the ratchetwheel 7 is a very slight one, not enough to cause the operator anydiscomfort. i I

If desired, a pulley 13" may be employed in the place of the handle 13,this pulley carrying a pawl 1 1 corresponding to the pawl 14:. Thisstructure is illustrated in Fig. 1, and the pulley is illustrated inFig. 5. In other respects, the structure is the same as that shown inFig. 2 and the same reference numerals hav'e been applied.

' From the foregoing description. it will be seen that simple andetlicient means -are herein provided for accomplishing the objects ofthe invention. but while the elements shown and described arewelladapted to serve the purposes for which they are intended, it is to beunderstood that the v invention is not limited to the precise conwhat Imounted thereon, the last named ratchet wheel being slightly larger thanthe first named ratchet wheel, a pawl engaging the loosely mountedratchet wheel for preventing reverse movement thereof, an operatingcarried by said operating member, of such [width as to engage both ofsaid ratchet wheels, initial reverse movement of the fixed ratchet wheelcarrying the operating memher and its pawl rearwardly until said pawl islifted out of engagement with the teeth 1' of the first namedratchetwheel by riding up one of the teeth of the loosely mounted lratchet wheel..

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature t in presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE XV. SAGE.

Witnesses:

MARY Russ, H. M. VOLLMER;

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of latents,

Washington, D. C.

